Frame corner structure



Jan. 21, 1936. ERT I 2,028,353

FRAME CORNER STRUCTURE Filed April 8, 1955 Rob ris,

INVENTOR ATTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 21, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FRAME CORNERSTRUCTURE Application April 8,

1 Claim.

also to an article of manufacture and merchandise which constitutes animproved frame-cornermember.

One object of this invention is to provide an improved frame cornerstructure that is exceedingly strong, rigid and secure, and which can beproduced and applied at slight expense.

exceedingly strong and rigid frame-corner-memher by forming the samefroma blank of sheet metal, or from other rigid sheet material, bypressing the blank into the shape of a channelmember Whosechannel-bottom is formed of parts that are substantially in angularrelation to one another and which is continuous throughout itslongitudinal and lateral extent, so that its rigidity is at the maximumfor the required thinness of the sheet material.

Another object is to provide an improved knockdown frame structure whichincludes vertical and horizontal strips each having one end mortised andits other end square-cut, so the length can be reduced by merelysquare-cutting the originally square-cut end, thereby leaving thecornerjoints of the frame unchanged in the operation of reducing thedimensions of the frame; also to supply the knock-down frame with theabovedescribed frame-corner-members which will fit the adjoining ends ofthe frame-strips at whatever length they may be originally or afterbeing square-cut.

Other objects and important features are pointed out or implied in thefollowing detailed description, in connection with the accompanyingdrawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a frame-corner constructed and assembledaccording to this in- Vention.

Fig. 2 is a bracketed view showing in perspective and in full lines thecorrelated ends of a vertical frame-strip and a horizontal frame-stripseparated, and the broken lines showing the vertical frame-strips normalposition with respect to the horizontal frame-strip, a fragment of thecover-strip for a screen-edge being shown in a dropped position.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the frame-cornermember that comprisespart of the assembly in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the member shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view Another object is toprovide an improved and 1935, Serial No. 15,335

showing a modified form of the member shown 7 y in Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view along the line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawing in detail wherein similar reference numeralsrefer to similar parts in the several views, the invention is described,in detail as follows:

The three essential parts of my frame corner structure are shownassembled, in Fig. 1, in their normal relation, the horizontalframe-strips square-cut end portion being indicated at ID, the greaterpart of this strip (including its mortised end) being omitted asif cutoff at the end of the corner-securing member H which is here shown inits entirety; and the upper end-portion of the vertical frame-strip [2having its mortise hidden by the adjoining square-cut end of thehorizontal frame-strip; but, in Fig. 2, the mortise is defined by avertical wall or surface 13 and a seat or surface I, and will bereferred to hereinafter as a one-angle mortise or uni-rectangle mortise.The vertical depth of this mortise is equal to the width or verticalmeasurement of the horizontal frame-strip It], so the upper end of thevertical strip is flush or level with the upper surface of thehorizontal frame-strip while the lower surface of the latter rests inits normal posit'on on the seat or surface I4 and the squarecut endsurface of the strip I0 fits snugly against the vertical surface l3.

Each strip l0 and I2 has its opposite vertical sides formed with groovesor kerfs IS. The frame-corner-member l I is formed of a substantiallyquadrangular blank of rigid sheet material, preferably ductile sheetiron, steel, brass or aluminum, pressed into the shape shown, viz., intothe channel-shape where the sides or walls are shown at I6 and I1 (inFigs. 1 and 2) and at 1711 (in Fig. 5). Each side or wall is formed withtwo securing flanges l8 turned laterally at right angles to the majorpart of the wall and extending at right angles to one another. Fromanother aspect, there are two pairs of securing flanges, those of eachpair being parallel and extending inward towards one another; andalthough they are shown in spaced relation to one another (in Figs. 1and 3), to provide an opening or clear space l9, they may be adjoinedand united for providing greater rigidity, and an opening Illa may beprovided in lieu of the opening I9, or the openings I9 and Na may bothbe omitted in view of the fact that the sheet-material is ductile andsoft and thin so that a sharp-pointed nail or tack can be driven throughthe walls at any chosen point. However, the walls and their flanges musthave considerable rigidity, so it is quite within the scope of thisinvention to make the flanges double-thick by turning the edges of theblank upon the adjoining edge-portions before forming the blank intochannel-shape. Moreover, the walls l6 and I! may be stiffened, as arethe walls I la, by elongated bosses or ribs such as shown at l'lb and/orHe, or of any desired shape and locality on the respective walls; butwhen the walls are of relatively thick and rigid material pressed ordie-cast into shape, the bosses may be omitted, and any desired numberof nailing openings may be provided through the walls, so nails may bepassed therethrough when securing a screen-fabric and edge-protectingstrip 20 (Fig. 2) in place.

A very important feature of this invention resides in the lateral andlongitudinal continuity of the channel-bottom 2|22--23 (Figs. 1, 3 and4) or 2|a22a-23a (Figs. 5 and 6), where it is seen that a substantiallyhorizontal section 2| or Zia. merges with a substantially obliquesection 22 or 22a that merges with a substantially vertical section 23or 23a; the unity and continuity of these three sections making thechannel bottom far more rigid than it would be if these three sectionswere in the same plane, or if any one of these parts or sections werenot continuous laterally or from wall IE to wall I! or [1a to Hit. It isquite within the scope of this invention to form the part 22 arcuate, asindicated by the arcuate broken line in Fig. 3; also to form the memberH or I la from two blanks in such man-' ner that they can be joined toone another by riveting, soldering, welding or otherwise securing themtogether at any appropriate part of the 5 channel-bottom 2l-22-23 or2Ia--22a-23a.

While describing my invention specifically, it is not my intention tolimit my patent protection to these specific and precise details, forthe invention is susceptible of numerous changes with- 10 in the scopeof the inventive ideas as implied and claimed.

What I claim as my invention is:

An article of manufacture and merchandise comprising aframe-corner-member of rigid sheet material constituting achannel-member having walls each including two securing-flanges disposedlongitudinally at right angles to one another, each flange of onechannel-wall being laterally disposed at right angles to the main partof this wall and projecting towards a similarly formed and arrangedflange of the opposite channel-wall, said walls being connected by achannel-bottom which is laterally and longitudinally continuous andincludes end portions substantially at right angles to one another andunited with an intermediate portion that is substantially oblique tosaid end portions, whereby said walls are held in the maximum rigidityand stability with respect to one another.

WILLIAM FRANCIS ROBERTS.

